Burning Sky
by NeutralStripes
Summary: Loud Family celebrates Fourth of July eleven years later. Lori gets drunk and things get awkward.


**Hey, guys. I made this on a whim. I didn't really have a plan for this. At first, I wanted to make it dark but then I was like "Nah," so I ended up deciding to make it more light-hearted and funny. You can probably tell the sudden turn I took from one idea to another but I didn't feel like getting rid of what I had and starting from scratch. So I just kept it rolling. There's some light incest but nothing to freak out about. I'm pissed at the pacing and roughness. I felt like i needed to fit in every character but that was probably stupid. Whatever. Enjoy.**

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The sun was falling over the horizon. The orange sky began to darken and fade, the stars sparkling in the desolate sky. The rising chatter and laughter of the Loud sisters filled the cold, open air as everyone got more comfortable. They all sat in the backyard, waiting patiently.

Lincoln's last fond memory of the Fourth of July was long ago when he was still young. Eleven years old, if he remembered carefully. Everything was fun back then. There was family, fireworks, food, and family. All the sisters shared jokes and nonsense, talking gossip and all kinds of bullshit. And Lincoln was there, enjoying every second of it. Not a worry in mind.

Then things changed.

Now he was some poor soul in the body of a twenty-two years old man. He kept to himself and hardly talked to anyone, even his sisters. Lincoln was on the wooden bench by himself. He was scrolling through his phone, the radiant light bouncing off his face and shining in his eyes.

He was scrolling through Facebook on his account that he hasn't updated since… middle school? Somewhere around there. Hell, he didn't even like Facebook at the time. He just wanted one cuz everyone had one and his parents wouldn't let him.

 _You're too young to be exposing yourself to social media_. He could hear his parents saying. _It's dangerous and unsafe and blah blah blah_.

He was scrolling through his feed, seeing photos of families warmly welcoming their little soldiers home. It brought joy to Lincoln's heart. Not joy for them, but for himself.

He remembered that day he came back home after, what, 4 years in the military. His mom cried, his dad almost cried and all his sisters were happy and emotional.

Lincoln felt uncomfortable.

His parents took him out to eat and paraded him around like some war hero. They made him wear his uniform. Stripes, badges and all. The meal was on the house. It hardly tasted any good.

Then after they brought him home, they got him settled back into his old room. He loved it. It was just the way he left it. Comics over there, video games over here. Toys in the corner of the room and his old orange Polo's still hung up.

His eyes caught something on the bed. It was bun-bun. He ignored it at first but when everything was done and he was finally left alone. He brought the soft bunny up with a shaky hand and hugged it tenderly.

He could see himself perfectly. That scrawny dork from many years ago. That lovable, playful little kid he remembered so clearly. He wanted so desperately to be just that again, but couldn't. That wasn't him anymore.

Lincoln scrolled on. He kept on seeing more photos of young soldiers and old vets with their families, showing off their pride and achievements.

Lincoln didn't like showing off. Not that he hated other people doing it, he just liked keeping it to himself. And maybe _that_ was his problem.

Lincoln didn't like talking about his emotions. Mostly because most of his emotions roots from his time in the military. He fought, killed and lived. That was it.

On the surface, that is.

Lincoln joined cuz that was the only option he had left. His parents couldn't afford college for him. They were barely keeping Luna and Luan up. Lori tried to pitch in a bit but even she was weighed down by her student loans, rent, and bills. Then eventually she gave up entirely. Mom and Dad were managing somehow. It was honestly a miracle.

Lincoln didn't have that opportunity, though. He wanted to be an artist, work on character design, and make comic books like the Ace Savvy ones he adored so much. But he wasn't so skilled in art or drawing as he believed himself to be.

Ultimately, when High School was over, he had already signed up and was completely ready to fight for his country. Serving in the military wasn't some end-of-the-road shtick for the unfortunate.

Lincoln, with both heart and soul, loved serving his country. America gave him a place to call home. A place to be proud of. She treated him well and now it was time to return the favor. He was ready to throw down his life for this golden country. His country.

A loud bang rang in the sky. A bright flash lit up the night. Everyone looked up in astonishment.

Lincoln smiled. It _was_ pretty nice.

His other Fourth of July's were pretty uneventful. But he honestly couldn't blame anyone or himself.

It turns out he had PTSD. He kinda forgot to tell his parents. Partially from the fact that he was embarrassed about it. Just think about it.

 _Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder._

It made him sound weak. _Stress._ Even thinking about it left a sour taste in his mouth.

You know who has stress? High school teens cramming as much shit into their little brains before a big math test.

You know who has stress? Some middle-aged white mom trying to figure out what fruits to take to little Billy's soccer game.

You know who has stress? Soldiers ducking under fire as explosions go off left and right while people desperately scream orders down their necks.

Two men with missing legs lying down on the floor, writhing in agony? They must be stressed out, huh? Just ship 'em home, they'll be fine.

One guy with a bullet hole the size of a finger in the side if his, dead and still pouring out blood? Oh, what a big boy. No more headaches for him. Leave 'em there, we'll pick him up later.

Lincoln looked back down at his phone. It was empty. Meaningless. He turned it off and faced it down. His fingers brushed across the freezing wood of the bench. With the other hand, he combed his greedy fingers through his snowy hair. It was okay. He didn't need therapy or medicine. As long as his family was here, everything'll be okay. He hoped.

But that was too personal. Not everyone has the same experience as him. It was honestly like a candy machine. Or those arcade crane games. _You get what you get and you don't get upset._

He had two friends during his stay in… what was that place again? Syria. Afghanistan. Hm, whatever.

He had two friends he kind of grew very close to. Or at least closer to than most people he was deployed with. As you know, one lost a leg and the other was killed.

What was his name? Anthony. Alex. It was some kind of "Ah" sounding name. Well, that poor son of a bitch didn't see a grenade get chucked into the window. Didn't react fast enough, I guess. Or maybe he was just unlucky.

No, who was truly unlucky was…

Fred? France? Was it Frank?

Whatever. Lincoln doesn't like remembering. You know what? Forget it. Let's not talk about this. The therapist warned him not to dwell on his past too much. _Only on the happy thoughts, Lincoln_. _Only on the happy thoughts._

The point is that Lincoln didn't like fireworks before. He spent the past two Fourth of July's in his room. Alone. But now, he was trying to give it a chance. And to be completely honest, he didn't like it.

I mean, what was the big whoop about it? Fire some cheap fireworks, scare the shit out of some people then brush off the day like nothing. No, thank you. I'd rather pass.

A clattering plate was set in front of him with a burger on it. Lincoln jumped from his thoughts and looked down at the hot burger. The top bun was off and on the patty had a heart drawn in ketchup. He looked up and saw Luna in a pink apron. Lincoln smiled.

"Wow," he said sarcastically. "Did you _actually_ make this with love and care?" Luna shrugged.

"As much love and care I can put into a 5-minute burger." Luna chuckled and sat in front of him.

"Gross," Lincoln said. "So when's the party starting, hm?"

"As soon as the bossy bitch gets back. Which might as well be hours-"

The backdoor to the kitchen flew open with a bang. Everyone turned and a foot took a step out. Lori stumbled into the backyard holding two boxes at her side. Her hair was a mess and her shirt was wet. She howled loudly into the night like an animal.

"Who's ready to _fire_ some _works_ , you commie-hating sons of bitches!" Lori stumbled on to the soft grass and wobbled around dangerously, giggling like a schoolgirl.

She was drunk. Not much of a surprise. Ever since she broke up with Bobby boo-boo bear, Lori grew quite attached to the bottle. She wasn't an alcoholic. She kept her heavy drinking for only special events and every other weekend.

Damn, how did they break up again? I think Bobby cheated on her. Or maybe she cheated on him. Who cares. It wasn't Lincoln's problem.

"Did you come driving?" Lynn asked.

"That's not important." Lori walked over to the wooden bench and slammed the two boxes down on the table. She made an explosion sound and threw her arms up in the air for added effects. "How about we cut the pussy talk and blow these bad boys?"

"You _would_ know a lot about that, huh?" Luan pitched in. Everyone laughed. Lori shot her a glare. Lori blushed with rage and embarrassment.

"Oh, _haha_. Laugh it up, cunt. At least I can get a guy." Lori plopped her fat ass down on the wooden bench across from Lincoln and next Luna. She pointed a lazy finger at Luan. "Your ass has been single ever since High School. You've probably had more girls in you than a pedophile's camera."

Luan fell silent. Her cheeks burned and her eyes went to the ground. Lynn chuckled.

"There's nothing wrong with going out of your comfort zone," Lynn said taking a sip from her red plastic cup. Her back grazed the hard bark of the tree. She leaned on it. Lynn had her eyes closed and head bowed, trying to look like a badass anime character.

"Right on, sis." Luna cheered. Lincoln buried his face into his rough hand. He sighed and pulled on his skin.

"I don't think I should be hearing this," Lily said, sitting at the foot of the tree beside Lynn.

"Come on, Lily," Lynn said. "We talk like this cuz we know that you're super mature for your age. You can handle it."

"I agree with Lily," Lisa added, sitting on a lawn chair near the grill and keeping a reasonable distance from her sisters. "I suggest we tone down the vulgarity and salvage any last bit of hope we have for a calm and sincere Fourth of July. After all, we honor this day for the brave action and risks that our Founding Fathers took to secure a-"

" _Bo-ring_." Lola and Lana said in unison.

"Let's be real, it's all about blowing stuff up," Lana said. Lola nodded and agreed.

"I agree," Lola said.

"Same," Lucy added. Lisa rolled her eyes and dropped the matter. Getting through to her sisters was a one-chance kinda thing. If it didn't work at first then there's no point in trying.

"Yeah." Leni chimed with an annoying ring to her voice. "It's not every day we can get to together like this. I say we, like, make the best of it."

"Fine," Lisa said defeatedly.

"Alright, then. Let's light some already." Lincoln said, a newfound enthusiasm coming out of nowhere. He reached for the boxes but Lori smacked his hand. Lincoln yelped and hissed. He brought his hand under his chest and rubbed it tenderly. "What the hell was that for?"

"Hold your horses, hot stuff." Lori had her hands on her hips and her nose up. She looked so much like that bossy teen from 11 years ago. Except now she was older, mature and… depressed? " _I_ bought these with _my_ money so _I_ say which ones go first."

"Damn, fine. Snobby much." Lincoln spat.

"Oh, Lincoln," Lori said teasingly. "Lincoln, Lincoln, Lincoln. You gotta know that being greedy keeps you alive in this world." Lori walked over and patted his soft head. "You're lucky you're cute as fuck or you'd be dead meat out there. Right, girls?"

Lincoln blushed and everyone went uncomfortably quiet. Lori turned and looked at Luan then to Lynn, their faces down and eyes heavy.

"What?" Lori looked at Luna. Her eyes were wide and her body was straight and tense. The rocker nodded at Lincoln and Lori glanced over. His face was red hot and his eyes were glued to the table.

Lori noticed and smiled. She turned back to her crowd of sisters, a devilish smile on her face.

"I think we should just fire off some fireworks." Luan finally spoke up.

"Oh, come on. Stop dicking around and be honest for once." Lori said, ignoring Luan. "If Lincoln wasn't our brother, we'd totally be all over him. Right?"

No one said anything.

The bangs and pops in the air brought a colorful light to everyone's faces. Lincoln noticed. The rattling and sizzling sounding so familiar to a damaged ear. The loud explosion sounding way too close for a spared life. And the foul smell not foreign enough for a lost man.

Lincoln looked up into the sky. If it weren't for the intricate colors and effects, Lincoln would've believed the sky was on fire.

A dark grip fell over his chest. His breathing came in short, uneven gasps and his heart began to race _._

 _When is it gonna happen?_

Lincoln looked to his side and all his sisters were looking at him with judging eyes. Their faces were dark and mysterious.

 _It was them. It had to be them. They were gonna kill him._

He gripped the end of the table and sank his nails into the soft wood. His toes bent and twitched, trying to sink into the cold grass.

Lori mumbled something and sighed, never noticing his distress. She walked over to her brother and bent over. She wrapped her hand around the back of his neck and leaned in close. Their lips met and danced.

Everyone's jaws fell. Lynn's plastic cup slipped through her fingers. Lily put a hand to mouth and gasped.

Lincoln's eyes widened. Lori pulled away and hugged him, her head snuggled into the empty space of his neck. Lincoln's jaw fell and his whole world disappeared. The fear and anxiety scurried away like a scared animal.

A silent white flash engulfed the night.

 ***BANG***

Lori said a lot of stupid shit that night, but only _one_ of them was true.


End file.
